Global market shares animal breeding
Aquaculture breeding is a young rapidly growing sector. Due to the biology of the animals, few companies can provide the world with breeding stock. However, there are many aquaculture species that can be bred in the future – this might mean 2-3 global players per species, or finally a few organizations owning operations in various species. All large operations known by now are European owned.
In cattle breeding, there are large internationally operating breeding organizations in North America, Australasia and Europe. Besides this, European cooperatives have large operations within their countries. We can not estimate at this moment the outcome of the survey we undertake, whether it will be 40/60, 50/50 or 60/40 European/non European ownership.
In poultry breeding, with relatively a lot of offspring per animal and a short generation interval, the situation has developed into a few organizations owning and executing poultry breeding globally. All large players except Cobb-Vantress (30% of global broiler breeding) are European owned.
In pig breeding, of the organized pig breeding (40%), 60-70% is in European hands.
Sheep and goat breeding are less organized, yet.
Biotechnology spin off is expected to take place in the coming decennia. An overview is being prepared (GF partner in FABRE TP).
Global situation poultry breeding
Click here for the table poultry breeding
Global situation cattle breeding
FABRE TP are undertaking an inventarisation on ownership and market shares in cattle breeding.
Global situation aquaculture
In consultation with EATP it is agreed that the AquaBreeding project will make an overview of the ownerships and market shares in aquaculture breeding.
However, when asked for names of non-European organizations owning large aquaculture breeding operations, nobody in the sector could provide names of organizations owned outside Europe.
In salmon breeding a lot of the ownership is in Norway (e.g. AquaGen), Scotland (e.g. Landcatch). The previously Nutreco owned operations are now Marine Harvest.
Aqua Gen (Wesjohann GE Europa) 35%
Global situation pig breeding
According to the FAO report “Livestocks’ long shadow” (Steinfeld et al. 2006), there are worldwide almost 920 million pigs of which 285 million in developed and 632 million in developing countries (see page 365 of FAO report).
The resource population of these pigs are about 75 million sows of which almost 60% in developing countries (East and South East Asia), and mainly in back yard farming systems.
To estimate the worldwide influence of pig breeding organisations, the replacement of sows is the best reference. Based on 75 million sows and 35-40% replacement of sows/year, there is annually a need of 28 million young sows per year. In developed countries, there is a need of 11,5 replacement sows per year.
Click here for the table pig breeding
